Want to fight elections? Congress has weird 'Social Media' requirements
With social media presence increasingly becoming a factor that affects election outcomes, the Madhya Pradesh Congress has made it mandatory for aspiring candidates to have a social media influence. In a letter dated September 2, the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) stated that all aspiring candidates should have over 15,000 'likes' on their Facebook page, and at least 5,000 'followers' on Twitter. Here's more.
What aspiring candidates are required to do
Apart from the aforementioned requirements, aspiring candidates will also be required to manage a WhatsApp group of booth-level works, and will have to 'like' and 'Retweet' every post by the MPCC. Interested candidates will have to submit the details of their social media presence to the MPCC by September 15, if they want a shot at getting a ticket for the upcoming state elections.
The forthcoming election will see a social media tussle
The MPCC's move comes ahead of the forthcoming Madhya Pradesh elections where a high-octane battle is expected between the Congress and the BJP. Notably, social media is set to play a major role with over 65,000 BJP 'cyber warriors' getting ready to take on 'Rajiv Ke Sipahi' in a tussle to influence voters over virtual mediums.
The BJP's cyber warriors far outnumber the Congress'
Yet, if the two parties' claims are to be believed, the Congress stands hopelessly outnumbered. In July, the MP BJP's information technology cell-in-charge, Shivraj Singh Dabi, had said that the party had deployed 65,000 'cyber warriors', and that 5,000 more would be deployed soon. In comparison, the MP Congress has a social media team of around 4,000 people, with 5,000 more set to join.
WhatsApp will play a key role in social media strategy
While both parties' social media campaigns involve influencing voters via Facebook, Twitter and the like, messaging service WhatsApp will be the center of attention. According to both BJP and Congress party members, WhatsApp will be the "biggest weapon" during the elections owing to the messaging service's wide reach, especially in rural areas of the state.
